Bulletproof
by MerpsiclesTheGreat
Summary: The girls in homeroom always admired the friendship between Karma and Nagisa, and that admiration only increases when their group ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nagisa takes a blow, and Karma is the first one to get revenge. Yuzuki and Rio think there's something more between them, so what happens when a little snooping takes place?


Karma and Nagisa had been friends before anyone in the class had met either of them. They weren't necessarily close; they didn't spend class time glued to each other's sides. There was just an obvious connection in their comfortable silences and playful bantering. Everyone in the class realized this, and it was becoming a frequent topic among the gossiping girls.

"Karma and Nagisa have known each other for a while, huh?" Kaede wondered aloud. Lunch hour had just begun, and everyone spread into groups to mingle. She sat with several other girls, observing the male group. Karma seemed to be saying something causing an uproar of laughter from all the guys except Nagisa who sat politely while eating a sandwich, playing a slightly amused expression instead.

"Yeah, props to Nagisa," Rio huffed. "I can barely stand one term with that red-headed punk."

"That kind of tolerance takes years of being together," Yuzuki dropped her manga, eager to show off her evaluation skills. "I'd say they knew each other before junior high since Karma isn't the type to form friendships like his with Nagisa very quickly. Nagisa told me he's lived in this city all of his life, but Karma-"

"Yuzuki, you have been reading Detective Conan again haven't you?"

"Shut up, Sumire! It makes me feel like a detective!"

"Why don't we just ask them? I'm sure they'd be fine with it." Toka took a long sip from her juice box.

"What? No, that's creepy! I'd feel like a stalker!"

"Calm down, Hinano. We could all hang out over the weekend or something and bring it up casually." Rio nodded aggressively, nearly dropping her bag of chips. "It's not creepy, it's research!"

"I guess we could do that," Yuzuki mumbled defeatedly, "if we want to be wimps."

"Alright. We should all just hang out at the mall or something this weekend." The girls agreed with Kaede's plan, promptly ignoring Yuzuki, and enjoyed the rest of the lunch together. Rio used her confidence to ask the boy group (invitation more inclined to Karma and Nagisa) to the mall for the weekend.

Saturday rolled by quickly, and everyone met at the mall. The group slowly collected more people as time passed, with Karma and Nagisa the last to arrive.

"Shoot, everyone else is already here. Karma, I told you we should have left earlier!"

"I mean, we got here. And the movie doesn't start for another hour, we had time to spare."

"But since we have such a big group, we need to get there early. Don't you want to sit together?"

"No."

Nagisa bit his tongue and scowled at Karma like a child. Yuzuki noticed Karma smile and Nagisa just barely blush. Then again, she already had some fan fiction suspicions on her mind. And, with the shounen-ai manga plot in mind, Yuzuki was determined to confirm her theory.

Everyone shuffled to the theater in a large cluster, chattering noisily. Yuzuki, utilizing her observant detective skills, was about to make her recently imagined fan-fiction a reality.

They were all going to see a film Yuzuki chose and convinced the others to watch with her. It was some romance-horror, so she already had over half of the crowd on her side, and Negotiator Karma was one of them. At that point, she was unstoppable.

As if trying to go with Nagisa's concerns, there was no place for all twenty-six students to sit together. Everyone split into smaller groups but tried to stay as close to one another as possible. Karma and Nagisa, considering their limited options, moved to two seats near the back sandwiched between random strangers. Yuzuki snuck to the row directly behind her current OTP for her to spy properly.

The movie opened with a soft and distant creaking, muffled screams of terror and anguish gradually increasing in volume. Nagisa tensed and angrily whispered something to Karma.

"I hate you for making me watch this! I hate horror movies!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have agreed," Karma sighed before flicking popcorn into his mouth.

"I wasn't about to be the only one not watching. I'd have to wander around the mall for two hours!"

Karma leaned in closely to Nagisa and whispered something Yuzuki couldn't hear. Whatever he said made Nagisa jump slightly in his seat and Karma giggle deviously.

Halfway through the movie when the two main characters were huddled behind a wooden door in fear, the first sudden scare frightened everyone in the theater. Nagisa jumped, screaming like an adorable little girl, and gravitated closer to Karma. Yuzuki watched suspiciously as Karma leaned in so their silhouettes merged. They lingered closely for a second too long before Nagisa hissed and shoved a snickering Karma away.

Yuzuki wasn't all that interested in the movie after that point. She barely noticed subtle actions between Nagisa and Karma. The movie came to a close, and Yuzuki snuck past her stalk victims in denial. Luckily, Karma was boo-ing aggressively to the point where everyone was focused on him. She shuffled quickly to the girls, overloading with fan girl giddy-ness.

"Guys, guys! You're not going to believe this!" She whisper-yelled loud enough for some guys to look in her direction questioningly but quiet enough to keep her topic a mystery. "So I was sitting behind Karma and Nagisa during the movie, and-"

"Wow. So you decided to take the stalker route?" Hinano sighed and shook her head disappointedly.

"I wasn't stalking! I was observing! For science!" Yuzuki hissed. Several others started glaring in her direction, so she took it as a sign to lower her voice. "I'm pretty sure those two are secretly dating."

The group gasped dramatically, and Yuzuki violently hushed them in a way that raised more suspicion than prevented it.

"What the hell, Yuzuki?" Rio whispered aggressively. "We did this to find out more about their friendship, not make your fanfiction a reality!"

"It wasn't intentional!" Yuzuki crossed her arms defensively. "My observation skills are just too great!"

"Well, what makes you say that…?" Kaede mumbled quietly. It was only a secret to Nagisa how Kaede felt towards him. It was clear she felt a pang of jealousy and tried to cover it up. "How… How do you know he's gay?"

"I don't 'know', but I'm 87% sure." Yuzuki placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. Rio sighed and waited for the bullshit analysis to begin.

"During the movie, I noticed little romantic acts. They were so little that it seemed planned or practiced, meaning they really want it to stay secret. For example, they would reach for popcorn at the same time, and their hands would linger in the bowl a few seconds too talked very quietly during the romantic parts, and Nagisa would seem visibly flustered if only a little bit. At one point, Nagisa curled up in his seat and put his head on Karma's shoulder. Karma put his head on Nagisa's, and it was probably the most adorable thing I had ever seen."

"I was convinced you had imagined or even over exaggerated some of your evaluations until that last part." Hinano put her hand on her chin and scrunched her face in thought. "They would make a cute couple, though."

"Why would they want to hide it? They know that we're okay with gay couples. Hell, I don't think Hiroto will ever shut up about his 'perfect boyfriend', but we never chastise him for it." Rio huffed.

"Karma doesn't really seem the type to openly express any kind of mushy-gushy lovey-dovey things." Hinano nodded. "Maybe he's just embarrassed."

"Or he doesn't want to ruin his manly image. Even though I think gay guys are tougher than not gay guys." Toka chimed in.

"Nice word choice," Rio chastised.

"Thanks."

"Hey, ladies! How'd you like the movie?" Taiga strode over with a flirty intent no girl was planning on falling for. He waited for someone to answer and continued when no one did. "Well, some of the other guys and I were planning on going to get some ice cream and maybe hit the park. Wanna come with?"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged silently. Hinano nodded with her star smile, sending Taiga away in a giddy state.

Everyone shuffled to the popular frozen yogurt place, "Killer Creams", and promptly annoyed every other customer in the shop. Some kids got a dollop of some bland flavor and maybe some toppings while others got the equivalent to twice their weight and just as many toppings. Most "left" their wallets at home, so paying involved a lot of loans with ridiculously high-interest rates (Yukiko was surprisingly stingy with her money; there was no way Tomohito was ever getting out of her debt). After everyone had paid, the group decided to migrate to the town park. Most were planning on relaxing on the benches and socializing while the selected few (namely the group of rebellious boys) wanted to play on the jungle gym and piss off kindergarteners.

"I'm telling you, that movie amazing!" Tomohito flailed his arms, creating a small sprinkle of strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt to fly in the air. "So many people died for stupid reasons, but it was great! That killer was a mastermind!"

"And I'm telling you, that movie was complete shit," Kirara sighed irritatedly. "There was no way that group of people could be that stupid. 'Oh, I heard a giant thump in the basement! Better check it out!'"

"Hey, if there was a sound down there, it could have been a technical issue! He would need to make sure the house doesn't freeze or whatever!"

Kirara strongly stated through gritted teeth more reasons the movie was terrible as well as verifying that the movie version of "The Shining" disgraced the book for that reason. Everyone else listened, laughing quietly and occasionally continuing their own conversations. Loud bickering from across the street grabbed the attention of Nagisa and few others. Two grown men shouted choice words, topic vague enough to leave every bystander in the dark.

"What are you trying to say?!"

"I'm saying that you are probably the densest motherfucker in the world! What is actually wrong with you?!"

"You! You are what's wrong!"

Nagisa listened, merely his subconscious paying attention to the situation. Something told him to usher the group out of the area faster, but the argument about the movie was getting too heated. No one would notice him anyway, so he continued listening to avoid boredom.

"Fuck you, asshole!"

"Say that again, shithead! I dare you!"

"Fuck! You! Assho-"

A loud pang pierced the air, causing everyone to duck and many to scream in horror. Precious seconds passed before anyone recognized the sound: a gunshot. Everyone's eyes shot open when they heard a scream of heart-wrenching agony.

"NAGISA!"

Karma's desperate cry brought everyone back to reality. Kaede turned sharply on her heels to see Karma kneeling by a limp Nagisa. His back was to her, so she could only see a mop of blue hair hovering over a pool of red.

The remaining high schoolers rushed to their classmates to assess the situation. Karma held Nagisa in his arms bridal style, and Nagisa's white shirt was stained with blood oozing from the hole in his chest. His chest was unevenly rising and falling, desperately begging for air. Everyone was mortified. It was as if time slowed to a halt, leaving everyone in their thoughts.

"Kaede…" Karma's gravelly voice, shaken with something she couldn't identify, sped time back to its normal flow. Kaede looked up, but her heart stopped once her eyes settled on the boy before her.

Karma's eyes were dark, soulless even, and stared through her more than at her. His brow was so stern and terrifying, and his lips formed a thin line. His jaw shook, a sign of his teeth grinding viciously. Everything about what she saw and the aura oozing from his every pore sent a chill of pure fear attacking her body. Before she realized that she had never responded, Karma was already speaking. With those words, she figured out what was shaking his voice: rage.

"Call the hospital…" Kaede blinked, mind lagging from the rush of the situation. Those few seconds were far too long for Karma's patience.

"NOW!"

Kaede squeaked in fear and whipped out her phone, instantly dialing 9-1-1.

"Manami," the girl in question jumped slightly and quickly ran to his side. "Keep him alive until the ambulance gets here. Yuma, call the police. Tomohito, keep Nagisa awake. Everyone else...stay out of my way."

Everyone followed his orders primarily out of fear, and Karma set the wounded Nagisa down gently and began to stand until a bloody hand gripped his shirt.

"K...Karma...d-don't…" Nagisa could barely speak, broken words interrupted by desperate gasps for air. His plea was ignored when Karma gently took the hand with his own and removed it from his shirt. He walked away, and Nagisa turned to Kaede with disregard to Manami's instructions to stop talking.

"K...Kae..de…" Nagisa coughed violently, too weak to wave off the efforts to help by his peers. "H...Karma… H-He'll… kill them…"

Kaede's eyes opened wider than she thought possible and looked over where Karma had marched off to. Despite Nagisa's request, Kaede knew she could in no way stop Karma when he get's angry.

No one could.

The two arguing men, one with a pistol enveloped in his bony fingers, were frozen in their tracks. Even as grown men, shameless fear left them paralyzed until Karma was about two meters from punching distance.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to shoot him!" The gun wielder put the pistol down and raised both of his hands up in surrender. "I was aiming for this asshole! I would never shoot a random kid intentionally!"

He barely had a chance to finish before Karma's fist collided with the man's round nose. The loud crunching of bones breaking made the other man cringe. He fell to the ground, clutching his face and screaming, but Karma wasn't done. He sat on the man's waist, one leg on either side to pin him down, and punched the adult beneath him without any interval for the abused to breathe. Skin slapping skin, bones snapping, and abrupt screams pierced the air and frightened the mortified onlookers. The other man recollected his thoughts to run away in panic, but Karma heard his heavy steps and jumped up to unleash his wrath.

Eventually, some ambulances (one for Nagisa and another for the two men) and the police (to try and subdue the raging Karma) came on the scene. Policemen asked questions to identify the situation, and Karma was getting more and more agitated with waiting. Everyone else decided to stay away from the angry redhead. No one knew what he was feeling or what was going through his mind, but they decided to give him time to rest.

Time passed, and everyone loitered in the hospital waiting room. Kaede and Hinano paced impatiently, Toka spent time dedicated to comfort those crying, but most everyone remained silent. Hours passed, and several classmates had to go home regardless of their feelings. At 12:15 AM, only Kaede and Karma remained. Karma sat on the bench, face in his hands, and completely motionless. Kaede sat on the same bench a few seats away, wondering if he was alive or not.

"...Hey," she whispered kindly, mostly testing the waters. Karma didn't react, so she moved closer to him. "Hey, you, uh...you doing alright?"

He didn't respond or even move, so they sat in silence. Kaede patiently sat beside him with her hands crossed over her lap. Eventually, maybe five minutes later, Karma spoke.

"...Yeah. I'll, uh…" He slowly lifted his head from his hands, eyes still hidden. "Sorry. I kinda lost control."

"No, it's understandable. It was a terrible thing to see…" Kaede was quiet again. She wanted to assure in some way that she was willing to listen to anything he had to say. Luckily, her silent message was received.

"I just…Nagisa's my best friend. My first friend. My…" He paused, possibly choking on his words. He lifted his face just enough for Kaede to see the sadness gripping every part of his insides. "My only friend…"

Kaede looked at him with stunned silence. What was that supposed to mean? How was she supposed to react? Wasn't she his friend? He talks so openly with everyone else, so why was Nagisa so special? Yuzuki's theory echoed through her head, but she pushed it aside.

"What do you mean 'only friend'? What about, like, everyone in class? You're practically the most popular person in the school!" Kaede didn't understand it. She was the leading role in every school play she's participated in, so she was envied around the school. But whenever it came to grades and personal conversations, Karma had her beat every time. It was considered super impressive when the school's star actress labeled anyone else as popular.

"'You know my name, not my story. You've heard what I've done, but not what I've been through'. Jonathan Anthony Burkett." Kaede blinked, processing the sudden quote mentally and its importance. Karma waited patiently for a few seconds before talking again. "Popularity has nothing to do with it, Kaede. Someone could be popular enough to be known by every 7.125 billion human beings on this earth and not have a single friend. Another could have a few know his name, but have those few his friends."

"I feel like you're blathering right now."

"You don't get it, Kaede." Karma forced a laugh, more tired than irritated. "Friendship is a mutual understanding and acceptance between two people." Karma suddenly sat up as straight as a crushed human possibly could and looked his classmate in the eyes. Kaede instantly felt smaller.

"What do you know about me?"

"Well, uh," Kaede feared her slow response would further prove Karma's invalid point, every Karma related trivia she could think of. "Well, you're a junior in high school. We have the same homeroom. You're crazy smart even without studying. Oh, and-"

"Is that it?"

Kaede paused while a stunned feeling dominated her features. He was right; almost everything she knew about him was something a complete stranger could learn in one lunch hour. A needle of guilt pricked her heart, and Karma nodded.

"See?" Karma leaned back, disappointed that his point was proven right. The two of them sat in uncomfortable silence until a nurse came out of the double doors leading to the emergency room. Karma shot up to his feet with an arsenal of questions, nearly tumbling from the force and foggy headedness resulting from stress and water deprivation, but she gently lifted a hand to silence him.

"Aguri!" Kaede gasped. "I didn't know you were on this shift…"

"Hey there, sis," Aguri sighed, showing sympathetic eyes to her younger sister and the exhausted redhead.

"I know you're worried about your friend, but you two really should be getting home."

"But...but he's okay, right?" Karma's fatigue was beginning to show, and Kaede could feel the weight that was crushing him. She was hoping her hand on his shoulder would be enough to show her support.

"Don't worry, he will be fine." The stress alleviated from Karma's frame, but Kaede could still feel some tension in his muscles. "He's asleep right now and will recover in due time. Another nurse will take over for the night shift, so we should head home."

Kaede looked to Karma for permission. She didn't want to leave him alone in the state he was in, but the look he gave her showed that he didn't appreciate her pity. It was the signature Karma smile: it was friendly enough to give Kaede peace, but stern enough to make her leave the conversation alone.

"Don't worry about it, flat stuff," Karma chuckled slightly and shrugged. "It's almost 1 in the morning, and I gotta tell Ms. Shiota the good news. My mom is probably flipping all of her shit right now, but she can wait."

Without waiting for a response, he shuffled away into the night.

"Who is he calling 'flat stuff'?!" Kaede reacted a little late, ready to run after Karma's car, but her sister's hand stopped her in her tracks. A small lecture later, and she understood the importance of heading home.

It took a few days until visitors were allowed to see Nagisa, and class was silently bleak. Karma still went to school every day until he could see Nagisa, and he vanished as if he never existed. No one else skipped class and promptly griped during break.

"Karma gets to skip class because of his stupid brain," Terasaka angrily stabbed his leftover steak, gradually getting more frustrated when his fork frequently missed. He eventually threw the plastic utensil down in bitter surrender. "But we need to stay here and learn pointless shit. It's not fair…"

"Well, if what he told me was true," Kaede sighed to her plate of chicken and rice, "then he's seriously torn up about the almost-death of his best friend."

"Yesterday, he said something about being there with Nagisa's mom today. They probably get along pretty well, so I get that much," Rio casually sipped her drink, lightly chewing on the straw tip before continuing. "Just leave the poor guy be. We can visit after school, so let's stop talking about it."

"Oh, so THAT'S his excuse…" Terasaka waved his hand in a dramatic arc on his way down to pick up his fork from the ground. He continued when he sat up and angrily cleaned the points with a napkin.

"No one falls into that kind of depression when a casual friend gets hurt. He didn't even die! He just got super hurt, but ended up fine."

"Hey, asshole, a lot of us were crying in the hospital last night," Rio clearly showed her dissatisfaction with her stern, commanding tone. "If your best friend was heavily injured and bleeding in your arms, would you safely assume he was dead? Are you saying you would be a-okay with seeing Takuya or Taisei dying in your arms?"

Everyone was really quiet. Terasaka looked at Takuya and Taisei and lowered his head in defeat. Rio leaned back in victory. The remainder of the day went by with awkward tension. Regardless, the group made a schedule to visit Nagisa at different times. Overwhelming chatter and body heat probably wouldn't be good for his health, they hypothesized.

As soon as the school ended, Kaede walked to the store to buy a small bouquet and some treats for Nagisa. In the small town, everything was very close together and a safe walking distance. She made it to the hospital in ten minutes, entering the clean lobby rank with medicine and the elderly.

"Hi there, young lady!" The receptionist's cheery smile somehow didn't fit the mood. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Nagisa Shiota. It's visiting hours, right?"

She nodded and clicked away on her computer for a few moments before directing Kaede to a room on the next floor at the far end of the hall. The sounds echoed off the shimmering tiles in the hall, soft voices of kind chit-chat mixed with heels tapping against the porcelain floor. Nervous, Kaede ignored the ruckus and entered Nagisa's room.

Not to her surprise, Karma was at his bedside with a distant and glazed look in his eyes. Kaede crept closer until she was on the other side of the bed, somehow avoiding his radar. When she sat in one of the chairs, the bouquet paper startled Karma to attention.

"O-Oh! I didn't see you, Kaede," he whispered hoarsely, rubbing his burgundy eyes sore. "When'd you get here?"

"I just sat down," she responded nervously. Awkward silence made the white room stale as the two watched Nagisa like hawks. Though she made the observation that he didn't want to, Karma made an attempt to break the ice.

"Nurse said they don't know when he'll wake up."

She nodded slowly in response, taking time to silently appreciate the beeping reminder of Nagisa's life. Wordless company continued for around thirteen minutes before the nurse interrupted with a thousand knocks of glass jars.

"Hello, little Karma! Glad to see you're still here-" her cheery voice was interrupted when she and Kaede met eyes. "Akari! Is school out already? Good to see you!"

"Hey, sis," Kaede responded anxiously. She could feel Karma's intense stare, and she really wasn't in the mood for his inevitable commentary. She went by a different name at school, so none of her friends knew her real name. She just found it embarrassing. "When you told me we could visit Nagisa, my classmates and I made a schedule to visit him on different days. We didn't want to overwhelm him, you know."

"Well, I doubt Karma here is a part of that schedule of yours," Aguri smiled. "He's been here all day, every day since he was admitted. I asked if he should be in school, but he told me he's already way ahead of the class! What a bright boy!"

"I just prefer studying on my own," Karma sighed. "The teacher just moves too slow."

"Normally I would call the truancy officer and send his butt packing," she continued, casually leaning against the back of Kaede's chair. "But his dedication is so cute! I've never seen such a dedicated friend! Every day, he brings his school work to tutor little Nagisa in case he wakes up, a lunch for him to eat, one of his favorite books-"

"Okay, okay, I think she gets the point," Karma mumbled, looking off to the side bashfully. A scarce blush covered his cheeks, the kind he only experienced when being praised for emotional accomplishments. "I'm just looking out for a friend, that's all."

Your only friend, Kaede thought. That night entered her mind, and she thought bitterly about the comment.

"Well, visiting hours are almost over. After I give Nagisa the good ol' hygiene routine, he'll be off to bed."

"Okay," Karma stood, slinging the backpack Kaede never even noticed over his shoulder. "Thanks for the help. See ya later, Akari!"

She ignored his mocking tone until she heard the door close. Aguri told Kaede to go home since she'll be there all night. For the next week, the group took turns to visit their injured friend, and Karma was there every time. Thursday, Hinano's day, was no different at first. A friendly conversation spurred between her and Karma, easily relieving the tension.

"And Ryoma just fell right into the batter!" Hinano laughed at her own story, nearly doubling over at the memory. "All of his clothes were covered in red velvet cake goodness! He smelled sweet for days!"

"That sounds like something he'd do," Karma chuckled.

"I warned him! I swear he's so hardheaded!" Hinano roughly leaned back, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms impatiently. "How does he even have friends?"

"Wow, that's unexpectedly harsh of you," Karma suddenly laughed. He coughed violently, a sign of his diminishing health from stressing over Nagisa's well being. After assuring Hinano he was fine, he caught his breath and continued. "Friendship is strange, Hinano. I still haven't gotten the hang of it yet."

"Why do you say that?"

"Would you really call me the most friendly guy on the block?"

"Not even close," Hinano stated truthfully. "But everyone in class likes you."

"I think most more or less want to stay on my good side," he sighed, deflating partially in his seat. "I get dirty looks a lot, looks that could kill. Shit-talkers, gossipers, liars, the sorts."

"I'm not like that," Hinano blinked innocently. "None of the girls are scared of you. If you know how to keep a secret, Rio has a whole crush-in-denial kind of thing for you."

"Figured," Karma huffed. He's way too smart for his own good, Hinano noted. "I appreciate it, though. Still, I don't make friends easy."

"It's better to have one good friend than a dozen acquaintances. You and Nagisa are so close, Yuzuki is convinced you two are dating."

For a moment, Hinano was afraid she'd gone too far; Karma stared at her blankly and maybe a little irritated. All worries were dispatched when he smiled and laughed nervously.

"Well, he is my best friend. Someone told me that you're not best friends until someone mistakes you for a gay couple, so it seems we've passed that test."

Hinano laughed to ease the environmental strain. Thankful the conversation didn't turn for the awkward, she decided to ask the question that started it all.

"How long have you known each other?"

He raised his eyebrow and looked at the ceiling, taking a few moments to think. "What grade are we in? Eleventh?"

"Yup."

"Wow...I guess it's been five years."

"Five years?!" Hinano practically shouted, slamming her hands on the armrests and launching to her feet. "I knew you guys had to have been friends for a while, but not that long."

"...Why are you so surprised? Hiroto and Yuma have been friends practically since birth."

"Yeah, but I didn't think anyone could stand being around you that long."

Karma scowled and playfully stuck his tongue at her, making Hinano revert to a taunting five-year-old. Vicious coughs and chokes distracted them both, drawing their attention to Nagisa's sapphire eyes fogged over with confusion.

"Nagisa!"

Hinano recklessly dove onto the hospital bed, smothering the injured boy in a hug. Tears of joy streamed from her face until she noticed his struggles. Karma stayed safely to the side, watching the interaction with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" Her suddenly stuffed up nose made talking difficult, but she kept trying regardless. "Everyone was so worried! Rio feels so guilty. She said if we hadn't gone out, you wouldn't have gotten hurt, but I told her that it wasn't her fault!"

"Alright alright, don't talk his ear off," Karma chuckled and gave her a box of tissues. "He just woke up, I think he needs some time to process everything."

"It's fine, Karma," Nagisa spoke with a weak voice. "I'm just happy to have some company. Sorry to worry you."

"Don't apologize for this, Nagi'," Karma sat at the edge of the bed, watching Nagisa's face for any discomfort. When he saw none, he let his weight sink into the mattress completely. "If anyone should be sorry, it's me."

"Karma, what are you talking about?"

"It's my fault you got hurt, and I lost my cool when you told me to stop. I should've been walking by the street. Then I would've been the one shot, and you would be fine."

"I would hate for you to be the one who got hurt, and you know that. There's no way you could have predicted the gunshot."

"But I still went after those guys when you didn't want me to. I should've listened...I lost control.

"You kept control the best anyone could. You gave everyone the right direction and made sure the men didn't get away. It's fine."

"But-"

"Karma."

Nagisa's unusually stern voice stopped Karma in his tracks.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be."

Their eyes locked in an emotional standstill, such a personal moment Hinano felt guilty for witnessing. She blew her nose, and the wet honking shocked them back to reality.

"I'm gonna go tell everyone the good news," she stood, grabbing her purse and getting ready to leave. "You probably have some catching up to do anyway. I'll see you tomorrow!"

On her way out, just before the noisy door closed on its hinges, soft whispers and bed creaking reached her ears. She didn't think much of it when she could make out only a few choice words: "I'm sorry" and gentle hushing.

For the next week, everyone came to visit Nagisa at some point. At school, where Karma refused to attend, the girls adopted the two as their primary topic.

"Five years, huh?" Toka mused, elbows on the table and chin propped on her palm. "I guess I can see that. They're close enough for that to make sense."

"Seems a little long, though," Hinata wondered aloud. "I know Karma isn't the most personal guy in the world, but they should be closer than that for five years."

"Yeah, they've known each other since…" Hinano counted her fingers, mumbling to herself with a crooked brow.

"Sixth grade, Hinano."

"I was getting there…"

"That means they could have been dating for five years!" Yuzuki exclaimed. The group looked at her with annoyed glares.

"They're not together, Yuzuki," Rio grumbled. "They'd make a cute enough couple, but there just isn't enough evidence for it."

"You're right...we need to investigate," Yuzuki twisted the skin at the tip of her chin, forehead creased with concentration. "We need a spy…"

"I feel like that isn't legal."

"It is if we get caught, Megu."

"Still illegal."

"Come on, we're not doing anything bad. Just help me out, okay?" To the best of her ability, Yuzuki fluttered her eyelashes and mimicked a begging puppy dog. "Think of it as helping a friend. This is like experience toward my dream job!"

"I thought you wanted to be an editor?" Hinata criticized. "From my knowledge, editors don't spend their time shipping classmates and invading their personal lives."

"You know, I'm starting to think you guys aren't supporting me."

"We're not," the group said almost simultaneously. Forced to a corner, Yuzuki's posture crumbled. Rio watched as she pouted into her salad bowl, blandly shifting lettuce leaves and tomatoes with her fork.

"Fine, I'll do it." Heads turned to Rio, eyes wide in shock and confusion. Before questions could be asked, she continued.

"I guess it really isn't that big of a deal. I mean, definitely not worse than making Nagisa crossdress to play the princess part," she shrugged, thinking of the scene. There were no girls in left in theatre, and Nagisa was in debt to Rio for something. "If I do it, they'll understand my antics. Besides, I'm good at sneaking."

No one was motivated enough to make an attempt to change her mind, so they all wearily agreed.

"Who's planned to visit him tomorrow?"

"Ryunosuke, I think," Yukiko studied a well-organized chart of the visiting schedule. "Do you think he'd be willing to sacrifice his spot? I don't believe he's seen Nagisa yet."

"Rinka could probably convince him!" Hinano theorized excitedly. Not prepared to be launched into the conversation, Rinka looked up with wide eyes, lips still attached to her straw.

"Oh yeah! He really likes you, right?" Kaede questioned. She nodded silently. "Could you do that for us?"

Rinka nodded and nearly tumbled over from Kaede's impactful hug. At the end of the school day, when all the children were gathering their belongings and chatting excitedly, Rinka had devised a plan. The group watched, hushing each other's giggles, as Rinka faked shyness and tugged Chiba's sleeve adorably.

He turned around and greeted her with a nervous smile, saying something and pretending to shoot something with his finger gun. Rinka, a surprisingly good actor, created a feign blush on her cheeks and twisted the hem of her skirt between her anxious fingers. They exchanged words, Chiba's face evolving from shaky to flustered. Determined to look anywhere else, his face flushed as he nodded. Rinka practically shined, and she grabbed his hand and swung their interlocked fingers giddily. The group of girls came out of hiding as the fresh couple left the room.

"Love is in the air, ladies," Rio commented. Toka and Hinata giggled, and Kaede nudged Yukiko suggestively. Yuzuki considered it a romantic victory opening for the main event.

By the time her bus had arrived, Rio had already devised a plan for sneaking in undetected. A part of her felt disgusted, but then again she didn't care.

"Hi! I'm here to visit Nagisa Shiota." The receptionist wordlessly directed her to his room.

From my understanding, Rio reflected, a nurse comes in around this time with a loud and obnoxious cart of goodies.

Just in time, Kaede's sister made her way down the hall with the chattering glass and clicking heels. Rio smiled politely and held the door open, gesturing inside for her to enter first.

"Oh, thank you, young lady!" Aguri's cheery voice bounced off the walls, and she cautiously navigated the cart through the narrow doorway. Without her knowledge, Rio slid into the ajar door and quickly evaluated the room's layout.

From the entryway, a curtain was positioned to the right, separating a sink and other medical supplies from the rest of the room. Another curtain perpendicular to the other separated the medical area from the hospital bed, the perfect place to eavesdrop without being seen. Hushing her steps, Rio shuffled quickly to her hiding spot. Once there, she crouched behind a tall dolly and perked her ears.

"Hello, Karma! Nagisa, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good, Miss Yukimura." Rio could hear the smile in his voice. Relief melted her worries; his voice surely did sound better.

"And what about you, Karma? Did you even go home last night?"

"Don't worry, I did. If I hadn't, my mom would've called damn near everyone. Hell, she'd have the FBI on site if I were five minutes late."

Aguri laughed, and Rio heard some fiddling with the medicine jars. A few seconds of wordless shuffling and paper shifting; Rio's nerves were racking.

"You know what? Your wound is healing nicely; the bullet thankfully missed any vitals by a hair. You should be out very soon!"

Everyone let out a remedy sigh, and Rio had to hold one back. She heard a celebratory slap of skin on skin, assumably a high five.

"I'll be off now. Visitor hours will be over soon, so be wary. See you tomorrow, boys!"

Nagisa and Karma said their farewells, and Aguri started pulling the cart away. Rio defensively shrunk into the shadows as she passed by. Moments after the heavy door slammed on its lock, Karma started speaking.

"What're you gonna do once you get out?"

"Catch up on school work, first and foremost. How much school did I miss again?"

"A little over two weeks."

"Crap…" Nagisa huffed frustratedly, the sheets crumpling under his weight. "That's a lot of work…"

"I'll help you."

"I sure am lucky to have the smartest kid in school willing to help me. You're in all AP classes, though, and I'm only in two."

"I can still do it."

"Thanks."

Silence stiffened the air, and Rio wondered if they just up and vanished.

"I'd do anything for you...you know that, right?" Karma asked weakly, compassion holding his words together.

"Yeah. I wish you wouldn't do so much, though."

"I couldn't do anything less, even if I tried."

"You definitely could for anyone else."

"Anyone else sucks."

"Your romantic attempts have decreased in quality since I woke up."

"Wow. Harsh," Karma's insulted tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Well, how about this?"

Rio felt like an intruder of a personal moment. She heard speechless noise and barely audible movement, and curiosity began to outweigh reason. Slowly, she crept around the curtain and peered around. Once her gaze settled, she nearly fell off of her heels.

Karma was in the bed, towering over Nagisa with shins and forearms supporting him. Nagisa, free of IVs as of late, had both of his hands tangled in the crimson mess. Upon closer inspection she could see the boys' lips attached to one another, moving with a soothing passion. Karma's fingers idly played with Nagisa's long, blue locks in an unexpectedly sentimental act. Rio stood in stunned silence.

The boys finally separated, their foreheads resting together and loving smiles covering their lips. If Rio didn't have some unidentified, painful twinge in her chest, the moment would come across as touching.

"That's better," Nagisa giggled, cheeks dusted pink, "but I think I need a little more."

"Baby, you know I'd love to," Karma ran a hand down Nagisa's side, repeating the soothing motions to coax a needy whimper from his lips. "But we're in public. I'd rather have some of our old-fashioned fun back at my place."

Karma leaned into Nagisa's neck, mumbling some presumably naughty things and placing open-mouthed kisses on the skin. The bluenette's eyes were closed, lips plump and parted to release ragged sighs. His heart began to race, the heart-beat monitor gradually gaining speed. The loud beeping shook Rio from her daze, and she began to panic slightly about being in the open for so long. Just before she took her first step, Nagisa's eyes fluttered open. His lust glazed eyes shot open, immediately losing all flirtatious joy upon spotting his spy. Karma instantly noticed the change and turned to follow Nagisa's mortified gaze.

Rio suddenly felt extreme guilt. Crystal blue eyes filled with shock and fear tore her heart to shreds, and blood orange eyes showing an emotion that terrified her to the bone. Never in her wildest dreams had she figured that Yuzuki's obsessive fantasy would be true. If she had even considered it, she could have easily found that this scenario was inevitable.

"How long have you been standing there?" Karma stood tall, tone and gaze surprisingly calm for the situation. He took a step towards Rio, and she reflexively stepped back. Under his dark gaze, commanding stance, and cautious steps, Rio felt small and helpless. Her back hit the wall, and Karma was inches away.

"I asked a question. Why aren't you answering?"

Rio instantly recognized the deep, gravel in his voice; it was the same voice he uses to intimidate someone or just before he beats them within an inch of their life. His eyes were filled with rage and insanity, yet his form was calm and confident: the thing everyone called "Karma's Control".

"I… I just… I was only…" Unusual to her character, Rio was stumbling over her words. Eventually, her voice failed completely.

"I know you must have been here a while," Karma began. "The door hasn't opened since the nurse left. Why were you spying on us?"

"Karma, wait," Nagisa spoke feebly, still recovering from the shock.

"I'm sorry for spying!" Rio put her hands up in surrender, willing to sell Yuzuki out in a heartbeat to save her life. "Yuzuki put me up to this! I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"But how do I know I can trust you?" Rio's life flashed before her eyes as Karma began to crack his knuckles threateningly. "I can always make sure you will never talk again."

"Karma!" Nagisa, an absolute angel whom Rio will worship for the rest of her life, raised his voice to capture the raging redhead's attention. Unfortunately, this sent him into a violent coughing fit which, fortunately, worked more efficiently.

Rio was amazed by the change Karma experienced. The instant Nagisa began to cough, all sadistic fury in his eyes washed away to reveal a mix of terror and genuine worry. In the millisecond before he spun on his heels, Rio saw how she became the least of his concerns. In a flash, Karma was at the keeling bluenette's bedside with a soothing hand on his back and a supporting hand on his chest.

"Oh my God, Nagisa, are you okay?! Do you need some water? Oh God, I'm so sorry..." Words tumbled from his lips, leaving no space for Nagisa to respond. Rio was able to recover in time to see Karma, now sitting on the bed beside Nagisa, cautiously tipping a glass with water inside to Nagisa's lips. Once he'd had enough, Karma guided him through deep breaths with hands cupping his face. Their foreheads rested together, and Rio had to admit that it may have been the cutest thing she's ever seen.

"Karma, I'm fine, some spit just went down the wrong pipe," Nagisa laughed at his boyfriend's overreaction.

"I'm sorry," Karma considerably ignored him. His hands fell to Nagisa's sides sorrowfully, and his head dropped in embarrassment. "I just, fuck, this is the second time…"

"Baby, it's not your fault-"

"You told me to stop, but I can't control myself. You got hurt because I didn't listen, and-"

"Karma, I'm serious, stop." Nagisa held onto his face and pressed their foreheads together, forcing him to make eye contact. "It's not your fault. I wasn't injured because of you, and I didn't choke on my own saliva because of you. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Karma nodded and exchanged a chaste kiss with a shy smile. Instead of delaying the inevitable, Rio made her way over to the bedside chair and prepared herself.

"Look, I'm sorry," Rio sighed. Karma and Nagisa turned their attention to the intruding blonde. "Yuzuki was being a weirdo and wanted someone to spy on you two."

"Why?" Nagisa asked. He seemed genuinely curious, and his calm aura was visibly relaxing Karma.

"Because she thinks we're dating," Karma answered, astonishing Rio. "Hinano told me."

"Ah," Rio nodded. Of course that bubbly bug lover wouldn't be able to keep a secret if worked up. "Well, I volunteered to do it because Yuzuki would never stop talking about how cute of a couple you two would be. I was fed up, but I never expected it to be true."

"Did you just indirectly admit that we make a cute couple?"

"Don't get on your high horse, you burnt tomato. Nagisa's the only cute part of this equation."

"Yeah, he's pretty cute."

"I'm not cute!"

"You're the cutest."

"I'm gonna vomit." Karma stuck out his tongue at Rio, mocking her as she fake gagged.

Tension left the air, and the couple of the hour got comfortable in the small hospital bed. Nagisa was nuzzled up to Karma, head on his chest and arms around him. Karma lay on his back and alternated between rubbing his back and twisted the long locks in his fingers.

"Mind if I ask a few questions? Just out of curiosity." Rio tested the waters. She held back a sigh of relief when Nagisa nodded.

"So you two are boyfriends, right?"

"Nah, just friends with benefits," Karma said, earning a series of playful hits to the chest. "Yeah, we are."

"For how long?"

"Hmm…" Nagisa thought. "Our anniversary is coming up in about a month-"

"Twenty-four days."

"Thanks, nerd." Nagisa feigned irritation. "Anyway, it will be four years."

"Wow. Longer than I expected." Rio sat back in her chair, gazing at the ceiling. "I can't believe you can stay with this asshole for so long."

"I mean, he sucks sometimes, but-"

"Wow. I'm right here."

"-but no one else has ever made me happier."

Karma blushed and looked out the window, and Nagisa bashfully nuzzled into Karma's neck. Rio couldn't help but smile at the display; the small bit of jealousy in her being nothing compared to the warmth she felt seeing the unlikely pair. It was then that something clicked.

"Why do you guys keep it a secret? Hiroto and Yuma are the two gayest people I've ever seen, and Ryoma is the only douche that makes fun of them for it."

Nagisa looked at Karma, but Karma kept looking at the ceiling with a blank expression. He sat up and gently intertwined their fingers in an attempt to reassure him. After a few moments, when Rio was worried she made a mistake, Karma inhaled deeply and spoke.

"My mom is, uh," he closed his eyes. "My mom isn't exactly the most accepting old bag. She's extremely homophobic, and…"

He paused, the memory hurting him. Nagisa squeezed his hand tighter, and Rio was beginning to regret asking. She could easily put the pieces together from there, especially by the way Nagisa ran the thumb of his free hand over Karma's cheek.

"I see. You don't have to go on." Rio spoke to her lap, so she didn't see Nagisa's grateful nod.

"Don't worry about it," Nagisa smiled kindly. "She's not so bad anymore. We just don't want her to find out about us."

"Is Nagisa's mom any better?" The question came out before she could stop herself, and she prayed the answer was positive.

"Well, my mom wanted a girl before I was born. That's why she won't let me cut my hair." Nagisa tugged some of his hair as a demonstration. "So when I came out, she was really stoked."

"Yeah, when I first met her, before we got together," Karma sat up and back hugged Nagisa from behind, practically tackled him, "she was trying to get us together."

"Oh, right, she did!" Nagisa laughed, verifying his statement. "When we actually started dating, she was so happy, but in a really weird way."

"Didn't she leave a box of condoms on your bed, like, the day after you told her?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Rio laughed until she fell to the floor.

"Yeah, it was hilarious."

"Well? Did you go at it?" Rio stood back up and wiggled her eyebrows, leaning forward expectantly.

"Rio!" Nagisa exclaimed, face flushed a beet red.

"Yeah, I fucked the virginity right out of him."

"KARMA!"

Karma and Rio exploded into laughter, Nagisa attacking Karma the best he could. When Karma got out of the bed and out of his reach, Nagisa pouted and buried his even darker face into his blankets.

"Ah, the nurse will be here in a few minutes," Karma looked at his watch. Rio looked at the clock and was amazed time had gone by so fast already. "Get yourself settled and look natural."

Nagisa, blush beginning to fade but still evident, smoothed his hair down and reorganized the bed with Karma's help. Rio decided to stay and walk with Karma to his car since her presence wouldn't seem unnatural. When everyone was casual, even starting a bland conversation, Rio suddenly remembered something important.

"Hey," Rio got their attention. "I really am sorry about this whole thing. I see how important it is to you for this to be kept a secret, especially since you almost killed me."

"You're forgiven."

"Karma, apologize to her."

"Nah. She's fine."

"As I was saying," Rio glared at the sarcastic redhead before continuing, "I really won't tell anyone. I can just tell Yuzuki that this was a giant waste of my time and force her to buy me something as compensation."

"Thank you so much, Rio." Nagisa smiled, and Rio felt good instantly. There was no way he could ruin this relationship. Not only because she would be ruining true happiness, but because Karma would beat her to a bloody pulp without mercy if she did.

"Hello, hello!" Aguri entered the room, voice as cheery and cart as noisy as ever. "Healthy Nagisa, Sweet Karma, and-oh! You're that kind girl who held the door open for me earlier. Are you Nagisa's classmate, too?"

"Yes, ma'am, I just came to say hello."

"Well, I just talked to your doctor," Aguri looked at her clipboard and cheerfully tapped her pen against it. "And you should be out in three days! We just want to be sure everything is alright."

"That's great! Thank you, Miss Yukimura!" Nagisa cheered, obviously ecstatic to leave the hospital.

"Alright guys, out you go. Karma, I'll be sure to see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I gotta tutor this guy so he isn't swamped when he gets back." Nagisa groaned and put a palm on his face, eliciting a giggle from the bubbly nurse. Karma turned to him and smiled. "I'll get all your make-up work tomorrow, now that we know when you'll get out."

"Thanks, Karma…" Nagisa rubbed his temples anxiously.

Rio and Karma said their good-byes and left the room together. Once they were out the hospital doors, Rio decided it was the best time to ask a very important question.

"So did Nagisa's mom hear you banging?"

"She wasn't home, but she definitely would have if she was. He's very loud."

"Maybe you were too rough."

"Not my fault he was begging for it."

"I regret bringing this up."

As promised, Nagisa was out of the hospital and home to his worrying mother. He waited two more days to catch up on all the make-up work, only possible because of his genius boyfriend's help. When he came back, homeroom was all over him. By then Yuzuki's dreams had been shattered, and she never brought it up again. Knowing something huge and life affecting no one else knows gave her pride.

Unfortunately, she has the image of Karma absolutely destroying Nagisa in her mind almost every time she closes her eyes.


End file.
